Sherlock Returning For Season 4

Sherlock Is Coming Back to Your TV — but There's a Catch

Fans of BBC and Masterpiece Theatre's Sherlock got a special treat on Wednesday when the BBC confirmed rumors that the show will be returning soon. The British network announced the news on Twitter, saying there would be a special episode (most likely a Christmas episode) followed by a three-episode season. However, there's a catch — shooting for the special won't begin until January 2015, with the season beginning shooting later that year. That means, even if the special airs on BBC on Christmas 2015, American fans likely won't see it until at least several weeks after that — probably in early 2016.

Either way, this means new Sherlock! The rumors first bubbled up earlier this year when Martin Freeman (who plays Dr. John Watson) said that the cast would return for a Christmas special in 2015. The series has had to deal with extended delay times between seasons due to Freeman's and Benedict Cumberbatch's increasingly demanding schedules. (Freeman also stars in Fargo and recently wrapped up final filming on The Hobbit, while Cumberbatch has starred in a string of films since first portraying Sherlock in 2010.)